Imphal, Apr 2: The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has reiterated its “firm opposition” to conducting the delimitation process in Manipur using the 2001 census basis, raising concerns over the reliability of the data.
Speaking at a press briefing at Congress Bhavan in Imphal, Hareshwar Goswami, vice president and chief spokesperson of the MPCC, stressed the necessity of a properly verified and authenticated census before any seat reallocation is undertaken.
Goswami explained that delimitation is a crucial exercise to readjust the distribution of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, based on the latest census reports.
India has carried out four major census-based delimitation exercises in 1952, 1963, 1972, and 2002, corresponding to the census years of 1951, 1961, 1971, and 2001, respectively, he pointed out.
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However, the 2021 census has been delayed until 2026 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors, meaning that the next delimitation process will be based on the first census conducted after 2026, in line with the Constitution (Eighty-Fourth Amendment) Act, 2001, the Congress leader mentioned.
In Manipur, the attempt to carry out delimitation based on the 2001 census faced widespread protests and legal challenges, owing to reports of an unusually high population growth rate in certain sub-divisions, said the Congress leader.
As a consequence, the Government of India issued a Gazette Notification on 8 February 2008, deferring the delimitation process in Manipur indefinitely, he also stated.
The order, issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department), referenced Writ Petition (PIL) No. 16 of 2005 and other related cases as reasons for the postponement. The government’s decision was based on concerns about the reliability of the census data.
Goswami stated that the issue was later taken to the Supreme Court of India by some interested parties, but the case was dismissed under Writ Petition (Civil) No. 296 of 2008 on August 21, 2014.
The Supreme Court upheld the government’s 2008 notification, ruling that the matter did not warrant further examination, Goswami also said.
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Meanwhile, reaffirming the MPCC’s position, Goswami insisted that delimitation should only be conducted on the basis of a properly verified and updated census, rather than the “disputed” 2001 data.
He stated that the delayed 2021 census, now expected in 2026, must be carried out with complete accuracy before any fresh delimitation exercise takes place.
(Newmai News Network)